It is known in the art that some N-(substituted phenyl)sulfonamides may be pesticidally active and that such compounds are useful in the preparation of certain pesticides. For example, the use of N-[2,4-dichloro-5-[4-(difluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]phenyl]methanesulfonamide as a herbicide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,275 (issued on Apr. 4, 1989 to FMC Corporation). In U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,275, the N-[2,4-dichloro-5-[4-(difluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]phenyl]methanesulfonamide is prepared by first reacting the corresponding arylamine with methanesulfonyl chloride and an excess of triethylamine in methylene chloride and then treating the resulting bis(methanesulfonyl)amino intermediate with sodium hydroxide. In addition, it is also known that N-(substituted aryl)sulfonamides may be prepared directly by treating an arylamine with methanesulfonyl chloride. However, a hydrochloric acid acceptor or scavenger, such as pyridine or triethylamine, must be added in excess to drive the reaction to completion. When large-scale reactions are run, the hydrochloric acid acceptor must be recovered and recycled or disposed of as part of the process. This recovery/recycle or disposal results in significant production costs. Another concern in attempting to convert arylamines to N-(substituted aryl)sulfonamides is low yields of product because of the formation of a bis(methanesulfonylamino) by-product when the reaction is driven to completion. Accordingly, there exists a need to prepare N-(substituted aryl)sulfonamides directly from arylamines without the addition of an acid scavenger and without substantial formation of the bis(methanesulfonylamino) by-product.